The China-UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture Roundtable on South-South Cooperation opened in Xi'an, Shaanxi on June 4, 2016. Vice Minister Qu Dongyu chaired the meeting. Representatives of MOA, the Ministry of Finance, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Science and Technology,the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Program (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) attended the meeting.
In his speech, Minister Han Changfu said that a closer cooperation between China and the three agencies will help the realization of the UN 2030 sustainable development agenda and its targets for global poverty alleviation.
In the joint statement released at the Roundtable, MOA, FAO, WFP and IFAD, the three United Nations Rome based agencies voiced support to the "Belt and Road" initiative as they said they are ready to explore opportunities offered by the initiative.
José Graziano da Silva, Director General of the FAO, said during the Roundtable that the FAO recognizes the value of initiative, and it will work to develop a new structure of cooperation with China under the framework of the initiative.
The Roundtable was the first of its kind held between the Chinese government and the three UN agencies.
MOA signed a memorandum of understanding of establishing all-round strategic partnership with the FAO. Meanwhile, MOA and the Ministry of Finance also signed a memorandum of understanding with the IFAD.
Adapted from reports of MOA website and China Daily